It is known to protect the painted exterior surfaces of glass and automobile parts with pre-formed, laminated sheets or sprayed-on polymeric films for various purposes; e.g., to reduce the likelihood of damage during shipment, storage and use or to act as spacers for stacking. There have been numerous problems associated with the application of such films. Spraying invokes the need to deal with environmental issues as well as overspray, both in the air and on parts of the article which are not to be coated. For non-permanent applications, it is often necessary to use solvents to remove the film. Lamination involves, first, the extrusion of a thin sheet of plastic film and, second, the step of joining the plastic film to a paper backing so it can be rolled up for shipment or storage. When the time comes to apply the film to, for example, an automobile body, several laborers are required to unroll the paper-backed film, lay the film over the automobile, remove the paper backing, and smooth the film. The result is a peelable film requiring no solvents or detergents for removal, but the manufacturing and application processes are labor intensive and, therefore, creates substantial expense.
It is also known to apply a film or coating of resilient protective polymeric material such as PVC to the rocker panels and other locations on automobile bodies to serve as an anti-chip coating. The coating is typically sprayed onto the vehicle rocker panel during the painting phase and dried or cured using, for example, standard paint oven convection heating. This sprayed-on method of application requires carefully masking of the body of the vehicle for overspray protection, which is labor-intensive. The masking must also be removed and disposed of, adding further cost to the process.